El vino will flow!

* Author takes a healthy gulp of Malbec...*

Every year around the holidays, Michael and Christopher throw a fancy-shmancy wine tasting soiree at their fabulous condo. It's a fabulous event full of fabulous people, fabulous cheeses provided by the super-rad genius Chicago cheese artisans at Pastoral, and a fabulous wine tasting by certified sommelier (lookit me getting all French here! The fabulous is catching!).

It's a great idea because attendees can taste a variety of wines, learn official facts and tidbits about them (such knowledge makes one "great at parties"!) then snatch up enough bottles to last all holiday-party-season long. Fabulous idea, right?

And this year, the event got a little extra fabulous, with flowers provided by Forget Me Knodt. :) And when the challenge is a wine tasting, how could one resist working with grapes? My first stop, then, was at the grocery store, where I purchased grapes in every variety and color!

I did a few large centerpieces in oversized wine glasses, with some grapes and lush amaranthus draping down. Our cup runneth over!

I also whipped up some smaller versions in actual wine glasses. How could I not?

Forgive the blurry image. The first rule of a fabulous soiree, after all, is low lighting!

Thanks so much, Michael and Christopher, for such a fabulous opportunity! Time to go refill my wine glass now...